Law on sober living homes moving forward

Costa Mesa has moved a step closer to increasing regulations for sober living homes.

The City Council held a public hearing Tuesday for a nuisance abatement ordinance, which would allow the city to regulate such behaviors as noise, large groups of people gathering to smoke outside or multiple vehicles parked along the street in residential neighborhoods.

More than 50 people remained at the council meeting for the 10 p.m. hearing, which lasted about an hour.

The ordinance is largely a response to complaints about sober living homes, although no one at the meeting mentioned these homes as targets of the law.

Mayor Jim Righeimer has hosted events to address concerns about the sober living homes in recent months. He has said the city will use this kind of ordinance to mitigate problems at sober living homes, but warned people not to appear discriminatory when discussing the issue.

Many citizens who spoke at the meeting mentioned unruly neighbors and praised the City Council for addressing the issue, without specifying whether they were talking about any specific kind of home.

No one spoke against the ordinance or on behalf of sober living homes, though Councilwoman Sandra Genis expressed concerns that the ordinance might be too broad.

Assistant Costa Mesa CEO Rick Francis and attorney Elena Gerli explained to the council that the ordinance would be used with caution and on properties with repeat or continuous offenses, because the city's actions have to be able to be defended in court.

The proposed ordinance has now gone through a first reading. It will come back to the council for a second reading and more public comment before the City Council takes a final vote.

What the ordinance would cover

If the Costa Mesa City Council passes the public nuisance abatement ordinance it is considering, residents could be fined up to $1,000 for the following violations:

>> Too much traffic or parking shortages around one house from pedestrians, bicycles or cars

>> Continued complaints of “excessive or unreasonable noise”

>> “An unusual number of calls for service, or an unusual amount of criminal activity”

>> Secondhand smoke

>> Trash in the streets, yards, sidewalks or parkways

>> “Any other disturbance which interferes with other residents' or business owners' quiet enjoyment of their property”